The ships of the first German Scharnhorst -class were after the Roon -class the second class of large cruisers of the Imperial Navy , which showed an increased displacement compared to the previous classes. The class consisted of the two units SMS Scharnhorst and SMS Gneisenau . The two units, named after Prussian military reformers from the time of the wars of liberation, are among the most famous ships in Germany at the time due to their use and end in the First World War .
Sides and deck views of the Scharnhorst class
The two ships were larger than any previously built German armored cruiser . Both ships were already out of date after commissioning - due to the British concept of the battle cruiser developed at the same time . They were then used in operations overseas. For their time of creation as armored cruisers, they were sufficiently armed and quickly, but already out of date due to the modernization of the rapidly developing international warship building when they were put into service. The subsequent single ship, the SMS Blücher , represented a significant further development in the series of ships known as large cruisers in the German Navy compared to the Scharnhorst class.
literature
Gröner, Erich / Dieter Jung / Martin Maass: The German warships 1815-1945 . tape1 : Armored ships, ships of the line, battleships, aircraft carriers, cruisers, gunboats . Bernard & Graefe, Munich 1982, ISBN 3-7637-4800-8 , p.76-78 .
Strohbusch, Erwin: Warship building since 1848 , German Maritime Museum, Bremerhaven 1984
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